The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-06-12
VERY FOND OF SERPENTS.
THE NOVEL PAsTIME OF 4 PENNsrL-
pANId sTOREKEEPER.

|
pretty new thing In the way OF tho goods he
keeps and while tho visitors arc intent on ex-
aiming the attractive articles to quietly turn
| loose in tho room two or throo lively rattlers
from the cage he keeps his pets In, and thcn
| lie back and enjoy the scramble that follows
| when the reptiles are discovered.
| Tho delight Of this facetious faucier OF dead
| ly serpents Is especially great II there are la
| dies among the visitors when the snakes are
| introduced. He says tho screaming that en-
sues, and the agility with which woman can
reach tho top Of HIS counter, prompted by the
sight Of q rattlesnake on the floor, are better
than Wild West show. This snake-loving
| merchant will leave customer Mt any time II
he can find q good listener while he talks
snake. He Is unable to understand the repug-
nance that the average human being foels
towards the serpent family, and says that in
stead OF q locality being Stunned because of
| the prevalence OF rattlesnakes 1t should be
just tho place for people to live, because whor-
| ever rattlosnnkes are found, according to him,
| there will be found u healthful region.
You'll never find malaria whore thcre arc
rRttlesnakes," says this expert in scrpents;
but you'll always find the home Of this snake
| where there Is the purest water, the freshest
| air, and the dryest, highest land. That's why
| you never find trout streams and trout where
| there are no rattlesnakes."
| Once some rather effeminate anglers came
from Philadelphia into Clinton county to show
the natives how trout should be caught. In
some way or other they received hint that
rattlesnakes were numerous In the stream
they selected, and two of the fancy fishermen
declined to seek Its borders. but remained ut
thoir boarding place. There were two others
| In the party, and they ventured to risk the
| danger of snakes. They made their way very
gingerly along tho stream, and failed to extract
| either enjoyment or trout as they proceeded.
| They saw no snakes, and finally made
up their minds they he'd been misinformed.
End won't on with their sport In better Sr
met fisherman coming down. Il WIS the
kenoyo snake fancier above mentioned. The
Iy 9P9PPsd hm and ras
snakes "a around there. The Remove artist was
IN his element at once. He thought the y two e,
got some rst attic but Ind had bad luck
sr 20 hs was At til their er HdHd Of
you're on the scent for rattlers, Just como with
q quarter Of a mile from here where. you can
ots and ySap b Ts an ADDE'S blue
racers and tho likes Of them. Just look here"
biz Two anes P1 en-
Philadelphia, whose desire to fish longer had
Fiji sy ss Reno s esss
aoWn that creek 1t Az gait n shs sreel; q
sSn eoed dq tWs IN a 'l0.
"Yos," said this gentlemen the other dag, II in
EsSy e n naS an Of sn as SssSsi
In this part OF Pennsylvania yet. but Nothing to
what there used to be. can remember when
,hs aTssf S 4 ss ass
50 tSat the noe
mind Of Held full Of rasshoppers wkirrine. 4
bareiooted man who had the courage to prance
inr speak o1 81 Wouldn't SiS stand much Of
chance of making very hapdsome pic
Shs tha * fss'hs s ss oasF
the other side at 81, would have. been about as
wS he had te s dwR Il sSn G nns
revolutions second. But for all that. old
Jerry Gross. an eccentric cheraeter who died
run, ard walked through one e these hes
WITH only thres s snake Bites on him, He Was
he'd d liz II lie turned as black as a eel. md
Soaked him in Indigo and vinegar and snake
root violet tea. and he came out all right,
aGaF ssFsz sa s1spfh es
residenter, who yas hunting rattlespIak s Tor
| 'em. don't know what has thinned the sar-
ers have &C good deal more troabe to gather
| a fair snake crop than they did even ton years
asnr out th eaS
Is M trout s SRHst
9 a E3Sa
Vie went run 5 samatRns paySs
| Sometimes l think the decrease in rattle
snakes is due in great measure to the pig
II there Is any t spot pe where the black snake
grows bigger and more pugngeious than they
IT, i Of sss ArTse Hsss
statement. but It is true. that only last week
Ssn saSk k Mans ss e msss
6oa hf Thsy sound $
ana simSsd up and d TILED to coll Around the
necks Of the animals. The mules plunged and and
% sn pof Ike tns she to sss f
BY Immense wets that rose On the legs q the
selves. The snakes were both over ten feet long.
II read in one q our LOCAL newspapers pe the
he dnS 81 o roads,
around aSS IN the Ss h
in ii the road. Ths Old gentieman and the two
girls alighted from the wagon. and while the
| girls Nelu the uOEb6 tuolL IaLuoE plChou VI, q
| club and advanced to kill the snake. Tho
snake also advanced, raising his head, as is tho
habit OF this species, more than two feet from
| the ground. and Kissing loudly, as he approach;
| ed, The old mans blow with the club was vol
directed, however, and the snake was killed.
1t measured between eleven and twelve feet,
aud WIS five inches through In the middle.
| That snake could have gorged sheep. :,
These black snakes entertain deadly
snake IN a ten-acro lot, and black snake
| enters the same lot, the two can't live there
ton minutes without there being a fight. Tho
black snake Is always looking for somebody to
simply can't hold himself whom there is n
RATHER around. The black snake hunts the
| RATHER up, and goes Tor him at once like a flash
OF lightning. He is as much quicker than q
| rationale AS q locomotive is quicker than n
much time does not elapse after black
snake tackles u rattler until there Is one less
| rnttler to sluirm up and answer to the roll call
when they all gather at the family hearthstone
| after the summer IL past and the harvest Is
ended. But it is only when the snakes are out
| on business In tho summer that the black
snake shows his great hatred for the RATHER,
When fall comes he seems TO get oyer his
| nd h,n kai in l.a With ha